Prevailing Wage for Public Relations Specialists
Prevailing wages for Public Relations Specialists are set by DOL across four experience levels, from entry-level coordinators to fully competent Communications Specialists and Corporate Communications Specialists. Whether your offer is for a Media Relations Specialist role or a Community Relations Coordinator position, the wage floor shifts significantly by city, so location matters as much as level.
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Entry-level public relations professionals with limited experience, typically fresh graduates or those new to the specialty. Work is closely supervised, tasks are routine, and independent judgment is limited. Employers filing H-1B or E-3 petitions for junior PR coordinator roles commonly land here.
Qualified practitioners with moderate experience who apply established methods with some independence. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Public Relations Specialists, covering roles that require professional judgment but remain within defined policies and objectives.
Experienced professionals who handle complex assignments with significant autonomy. These roles typically involve developing communications strategies, managing media relationships independently, and mentoring junior staff. Employers file at Level 3 for senior specialists and communications managers without full supervisory authority.
Fully competent senior practitioners with broad expertise and recognized authority in the field. Level 4 covers lead communications roles, department heads, and those setting organizational PR strategy. Filings at this level reflect top-of-range compensation in competitive markets.
Prevailing Wage for Public Relations Specialists by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Public Relations Specialists and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Watch for title aliasing between PR and marketing SOCs
Titles like Communications Specialist or Public Affairs Specialist sometimes get filed under marketing or advertising SOC codes, which carry different wage floors. Confirm your employer's LCA lists SOC 27-3031 specifically so your offer is benchmarked against the correct prevailing wage.
Understand why agency roles often file at Level 2
In-house PR teams at tech firms and federal contractors frequently file at Level 3 or Level 4 due to strategic scope, while agency and nonprofit employers cluster at Level 2. Knowing where your employer category typically files helps you gauge whether a Level 1 offer is underfiled.
Factor in Washington DC and San Jose when comparing offers
The prevailing wage floor in Washington DC and San Jose is dramatically higher than in markets like Johnstown, PA or McAllen, TX. A sponsored offer that clears the floor in a low-wage metro may fall short of market rate if you later transfer to a high-cost worksite.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors for PR roles
Migrate Mate lists employers with verified sponsorship history for Public Relations Specialists, showing how many H-1B or E-3 petitions each company has filed for the role. That history helps you focus applications on firms that have actually sponsored this SOC before.
Jobs for Public Relations Specialists are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Public Relations SpecialistsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 27-3031.00 alongside Public Relations Specialists, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Communications Specialist Prevailing Wage
Communications Specialist Prevailing Wage
Communications Specialist positions fall under SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Community Relations Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Community Relations Coordinator Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Community Relations Coordinator for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Corporate Communications Specialist Prevailing Wage
Corporate Communications Specialist Prevailing Wage
Corporate Communications Specialist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Information and Communications Specialist Prevailing Wage
Information and Communications Specialist Prevailing Wage
Information and Communications Specialist positions fall under SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Media Relations Specialist Prevailing Wage
Media Relations Specialist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Media Relations Specialist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Public Affairs Specialist Prevailing Wage
Public Affairs Specialist Prevailing Wage
Public Affairs Specialist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Public Information Officer Prevailing Wage
Public Information Officer Prevailing Wage
Public Information Officer positions fall under SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Public Information Specialist Prevailing Wage
Public Information Specialist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Public Information Specialist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Public Relations Coordinator (PR Coordinator) Prevailing Wage
Public Relations Coordinator (PR Coordinator) Prevailing Wage
Public Relations Coordinator (PR Coordinator) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist) Prevailing Wage
Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist) Prevailing Wage
Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist) positions fall under SOC 27-3031.00 (Public Relations Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Public Relations Specialists?
DOL derives prevailing wages for Public Relations Specialists from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These surveys sample employers across metro areas and assign wages to four levels based on experience, complexity, and supervision. OFLC certifies Labor Condition Applications against those surveyed figures, and employers must pay at or above the applicable level wage for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
The four DOL wage levels reflect increasing experience and job complexity. Level 1 covers entry-level, closely supervised work. Level 2 applies to qualified practitioners working with some independence, and is the most common filing level for Public Relations Specialists. Level 3 covers experienced professionals handling complex or strategic work. Level 4 applies to fully competent senior roles with broad authority. Compare the duties and independence described in your offer letter against these definitions to identify your level.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same PR role vary so much by city?
DOL calculates prevailing wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so each metro area produces its own wage data reflecting local labor market conditions. Under the worksite-on-LCA rule, the wage certified on the LCA must correspond to where the employee actually works, not the employer's headquarters. Dense employer markets like San Francisco and Washington DC drive higher survey medians, while smaller metros like Johnson City, TN produce significantly lower floors.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
USCIS will not approve an H-1B or E-3 petition if the LCA wage is below the DOL-certified prevailing wage for the worksite and level. If the offer is below the floor, the employer must either increase the salary before filing or certify a lower level that matches the offered wage. Misrepresenting the level to underfile is a compliance violation that exposes employers to DOL audit. Candidates cannot waive the prevailing wage requirement.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific U.S. location for Public Relations Specialists?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up current prevailing wages by SOC code 27-3031 and metropolitan area. Select the city where you will actually work, not where the employer is headquartered. OFLC updates wage data annually, so confirm you are viewing the current wage year. Migrate Mate also lets you filter sponsored job listings for Public Relations Specialists by location, helping you see which employers are actively filing in your target metro.
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